"Jungkook, wake up," I heard my manager say to me. I took a peek at the time, and saw that it was 6:30 AM.
I tossed back around and pulled the sheets over my face. Today was Saturday, and I don't remember us having schedules until the afternoon.
"Let me wake him," Jin said. I knew what was coming, so I attempted to lay flat on my stomach, but Jin, over powering my sleepy self flipped me over and 'nippled' me awake.
"Hyuuuung," I complained as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I yawned and stretched a little to waken myself.
"CEO Jung wants to meet with you," my manager said.
My eyes went fully wide at that, and I no longer felt sleepy at all.
"M-m-m-me?" I stuttered out.
We rarely had meetings with him, and when we did it was either a hit or miss. Most of the time, it was when we were still trainees and the meetings were about how our progress was so we could be closer to our debut. But after we debuted meetings with the CEO were less frequent, and only if our new album was going to be released or a tour was going to happen was when we had one.
I looked over to the other members doors' and noticed all of them were still closed, meaning they were still asleep.
He just wants to talk to me? I felt worry and fear run across me.
"Hurry up, you don't want to be late." Jin directed at me.
I stood in front of the big door on the highest floor of the SH building. The view from the glass window was marvelous as always, but my nervousness was overpowering me to think such calming thoughts. My clammy hands formed a ball, and I knocked on the door.
"Come in."
I reached for the handle and walked in trying to look more confident.
"Have a seat, Jungkook," CEO Jung stated, gesturing me towards the seat in front of his desk. It was only then, I noticed another man, a man I've never seen before, in a suit sitting in the chair next to mine.
As I sat down, the nervousness became worse as I was closer to two very important looking men.
"Calm down, Jungkook-ah," The CEO laughed out. He started coughing and I noticed his hanker chief, which was usually nicely folded and placed in his pocket, was now squared in his hand.
I guess my attempts to look calm were failing me.
"Jungkook, I want you to meet this man right here." he directed his hand towards the other man in the room. I bowed at him, and shook his hand as he held his out.
"This is Bang-PD." he started coughing again, and returned to his half-smile. "He's a good friend of mine. We were just having a meeting, and I wanted you to meet him before he left." I nodded my head in understanding.
"Well, I really must go now," Bang-PD spoke as he looked as his watch. "It was really great to meet you young man, I'm a BIG fan," I thanked him and he walked out.
I looked back over to see CEO Jung cough into his hanker chief once more.
"Are you okay, sir?" I asked him getting up to go get a cup of water placed on the side of the room.
I handed it to him, and he thanked me before proceeding me to sit down again.
"As you can see Jungkook, I'm not in my prime anymore," he joked. I smiled at his attempt to make me more comfortable.
He coughed again and spoke, "I'm getting old, and the worries about this company are flying around in my head. I don't want to waste your free morning, seeing as I have interrupted your sleep already, but I wanted to talk to you because of the company," I wasn't sure where this conversation was headed, but I nodded my head for him to continue.
He sighed and continued, "I've realised over these few years how hard my heart has become, and I've repented many times because of it. And because of my hard heart, I've lost the only family I have left."
I didn't understand why he was bringing all of this up to me.
"Jungkook-ah, the reason why I called you in here was to explain myself, and to get help from you," My eyes widened in the unexpected turn.
"H-h-help? From me?," I replied. Man I've got to get this stuttering thing under control.
"The only family that I have left is my granddaughter. I wanted her to become my successor so I could be relieved." He coughed again, this time sounding worse than before. I could see his eyes starting to get teary, but said nothing about it.
"I've done some horrible things in the past that prevented me from knowing her, but this is why I need help from you." I didn't respond, but had probably the most idiotic questioning face. "You see, ten years ago, my daughter, was sick. Because I had disagreements with who she had married, I wanted to have custody over my granddaughter. My constraint was so needy that I forced them to flee to America. After that, news came to me that my daughter had died, and her husband soon after." I was appalled at how the he had just told me his whole life story, and I still haven't understood why I was listening to it.
"News of my granddaughter never showed up. I can't imagine what she must be going through, but I know she has to be alive. In my search for her, we met the house maid, and she said a small boy from next-door was very close with my granddaughter. As I searched, this address came up." He handed me a paper with information on a house that looked all too familiar to me. It was my house.
I looked up at him and was lost for words. The story of a little girl going to America, because her mother was sick ten years ago did sound somewhat familiar, but I had thought nothing of it. He handed me a picture frame from his desk and I felt tears about to form.
Minyoung.
"This exact picture frame was on top of her piano." I stated, trying to suppress a crack in my voice, but to no avail.
He nodded with a smile, "Yes. Yes it was."
"So," I started trying to piece everything together. "Minyoung-ah. Choi Minyoung....is Jung Soo Ha CEO's grandaughter," I questioned. It was more of a confirmation statement to myself.
"Yes."
I shook my head at the man and he looked confused. I then explained, "Don't blame yourself sir. They didn't leave to flee from you. Well, it might have been a small part, I'm not fully entitled to Mr. and Mrs. Choi's thoughts, but they left because it was Mrs. Choi's last wish." I revisited the conversations I had with Minyoung in our tree house. All the times she'd pour her heart out to me when her mother was sick, and how her mother had one wish before she left. It never occured to me that I've never seen or heard anything about Minyoung's family other then her parents. She's met my whole family a multiple of times, but it wasn't until now that I realized we never had any conversations about her relatives before.
"What," he asked me fully listening with clear ears.
"Mrs. Choi wanted to go to America at some point in time. She had always talked about visting the whole United States with her family. And because Mrs. Choi was only given a few months to live, well, Mr. Choi decided even if shortening her life by two months to go on the trip, they might as well give her her last dying wish."
He didn't speak, but only gave a slight head nod that showed he was in deep thought.
All of a sudden a thought had occured to me.
"Was this why I was chosen?"
He shook his head in response. "This was one of the reasons why I wanted to explain to you, Jungkook-ah, that you have a true talent. I didn't choose you to join this company, because you were a friend of Minyoung's. I truly believe you have an amazing skill, and besides, I only knew about you being a close friend of hers three years ago. you were already a trainee here. It took awhile to find that maid," he added with a smirk.
I laughed knowing how mischevious Ms. Lee was. She always messed around with us and helped us in so many ways. I couldn't believe how much time had gone by.
"The second reason I wanted your help," he coughed again and drank his water. "is to help me find Minyoung." this time it was my turn to cough, or should I say choke.
"As much as I'd like to help you sir, I've tried looking for her 10 years ago when she went missing. Looking now.... would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
"I have connections to help you Jungkook. The only reason that I don't have the ability to find her is because I didn't know her. Her parents had prevented me from seeing her, so I never got to meet her." He then stood up in which I did also. He walked around his desk and grabbed my hand. "Please help me find her Jungkook. It's my only request of you. I know she means just as much to you as she does to me. Please."
Everything at this moment felt like all the pressure of Minyoung's missing-existence was weighed off of me. I didn't have to go through it alone, in fact, I even had a huge supporter.
"I'll do it."